VISITING TEACHING MESSAGE

Prayerfully study this material and seek to know what to share. How will understanding the life
and roles of the Savior increase your faith in Him and bless those you watch over through visiting teaching? For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.

Faith, Family, Relief

The Attributes
of Jesus Christ:
Obedient Son

From the Scriptures

Can the spiritual strength
that results from consistent
obedience to the commandmentsbegiven to another
person? asked Elder DavidA.
Bednar of the Quorum of the

This is part of a series of Visiting Teaching

Messages featuring attributes of the Savior.

Twelve Apostles. The clear

ollowing Jesus Christs example

of obedience increases our faith
in Him. Is it any wonder, said Elder
JeffreyR. Holland of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles, that Christ
chooses first and foremost to define
himself in relation to his fatherthat
he loved him and obeyed him and
submitted to him like the loyal son
he was? ... Obedience is the first law
of heaven.1
The scriptures teach when we
obtain any blessing from God, it is by
obedience to that law upon which
it is predicated (D&C 130:21). Our
spiritual growth takes place as we
draw close to God through obedience
and invite the power of the Saviors
Atonement into our lives.
As we walk in obedience to the
principles and commandments of
the gospel of Jesus Christ, said Elder
D.Todd Christofferson of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles, we enjoy
a continual flow of blessings promised by God in His covenant with us.
Those blessings provide the resources

Consider This
What are some examples of obedience in the scriptures?

answer ... is no.3

The parable of the ten virgins
is an example of this principle.
While all of the virgins took their
lamps to meet the bridegroom,
only five were wise and took oil
in their lamps. The other five

we need to act rather than simply be

acted upon as we go through life. ...
Obedience gives us greater control
over our lives, greater capacity to
come and go, to work and create.2

Additional Scriptures

Luke 22:4146; Doctrine and

Covenants 82:10; 93:28

were foolish because they took

no oil with them.
Then the cry came at midnight: Behold, the bridegroom
cometh; go ye out to meet him.
All the virgins trimmed their
lamps, but the foolish virgins
had no oil. They said to the wise
virgins, Give us of your oil; for
our lamps are gone out.
The wise virgins answered,
Not so; lest there be not enough
for us and you: but go . . . and
buy for yourselves. And while
the foolish virgins were gone,
the bridegroom came and the
wise virgins went with him and
the door was shut (Matthew
25:113).

NOTES

1. JeffreyR. Holland, The Will of the Father in

All Things (Brigham Young University devotional, Jan. 17, 1989), 4, speeches.byu.edu.
2. D.Todd Christofferson, The Power of
Covenants, Ensign or Liahona, May 2009, 21.
3. DavidA. Bednar, Converted unto the Lord,
Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 109.

J a n u a r y 2 0 1 5 7